Abstract
The Hydraulic Refrigeration System (HRS) is a vaporcompression system that accomplishes the compression and condensation of the refrigerant in a unique manner, by entraining refrigerant vapor in a down-flowing stream of water and utilizing the pressure head of the water to compress and condense the refrigerant. A multi-stage HRS was designed, fabricated, and tested using n-butane as the refrigerant. In general, both the refrigeration rate and the Coefficient of Performance (COP) decreased with a corresponding increase in the compression fluid temperature of the third and final stage. The refrigeration rate and COP were found to increase with a corresponding increase in evaporator temperature. The predictions of an enhanced model incorporating two-phase hydraulic losses show excellent agreement with the experimental data. The HRS offers an attractive alternative to conventional vapor-compression systems, especially in applications where direct-contact heat exchange in the evaporator is desirable.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Heat Transfer Division, (Publication) HTD |
| Pages | 25-31 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Volume | 357 |
| Edition | 4 |
| State | Published - 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
- Mechanical Engineering